Jeremy Corbyn calls on Theresa May to resign

Jeremy Corbyn has called for Theresa May to resign as Prime Minister for presiding over cuts in police numbers as Home Secretary.
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Jun 2017, 13:50 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2017, 15:29 BST
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with local candidate Tracy Harvey during his visit to the Hemlington Detached Youth Work Project in Middlesbrough while on the General Election campaign trail. (Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with local candidate Tracy Harvey during his visit to the Hemlington Detached Youth Work Project in Middlesbrough while on the General Election campaign trail. (Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with local candidate Tracy Harvey during his visit to the Hemlington Detached Youth Work Project in Middlesbrough while on the General Election campaign trail. (Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

In the wake of three terror attacks in three months, the Labour leader attacked Mrs May over Government cuts which has left the police with 20,000 fewer officers than in 2010.

Mr Corbyn conceded that Thursday's General Election was "perhaps the best opportunity" to remove the PM from her post, but asked by ITV News if he backed calls for Mrs May to resign, he said: "Indeed I would, because there's been calls made by a lot of very responsible people on this who are very worried that she was at the Home Office for all this time, presided over these cuts in police numbers and is now saying that we have a problem - yes, we do have a problem, we should never have cut the police numbers."

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Asked a second time if he wanted the PM to quit, Mr Corbyn said: "We've got an election on Thursday and that's perhaps the best opportunity to deal with it."

Mr Corbyn was quizzed on security as election campaigning went back into full swing after a brief pause in the wake of Saturday night's London Bridge attack.

It was the second time campaigning has been suspended since the snap election was called, with a longer break following the Manchester Arena attack.

The Opposition leader was asked by ITV News' Rachel Younger if he held Mrs May "in any way" responsible and if cuts to the police contributed to the London Bridge atrocity.

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Mr Corbyn replied: "The primary responsibility for this lies with those who did it, they killed people in cold blood in a disgusting and appalling way and there's no words other than total condemnation.

"On the issues of policing - the Government has been warned repeatedly about police cuts, and the Police Federation and many others (have said) how 20,000 have gone down over the past seven years.

"We've said we'd put 10,000 back immediately and also increase the number of security officers that are available, because clearly intelligence is a very important part of this.

"It's also very important to have a message of bringing communities together and that is something I always give very strongly at all of my events."